Keonjhar: The state government has reconstituted the trust board of Keonjhar District Mineral Foundation (DMF) after a gap of seven years.
According to a notification (10611/24) issued by the Planning and Convergence department July 24, the board now comprises 31 members.
The Keonjhar Collector will serve as the board’s chairperson while the members include MP Ananta Nayak, Rajya Sabha MPs Debashish Samantaray, Sujeet Kumar, MLAs Mohan Charan Majhi (the CM), Badri Narayan Patra, Akhil Chandra Nayak, Fakir Mohan Nayak, Abhimanyu Sethy, and Sanatan Mahakud, among others.
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In a significant administrative move, the post of CEO of Keonjhar DMF, which had remained vacant since 2018, has finally been filled.
IAS officer Reena Pradhan officially assumed charge as CEO Monday.
Previously, the role was being handled by the chief development officer (CDO) of Keonjhar Zilla Parishad.
As per Odisha DMF rules of 2015, Schedule 4(4), the trust board is required to meet at least twice in a financial year.
However, the last such meeting was held November 19, 2022, and the board had not been reconstituted since.
Concerns over alleged financial irregularities, misappropriation and mismanagement in the DMF funds had led to a case being filed in the Orissa High Court.
Following this, the Planning and Convergence and the Steel and Mines departments directed the Collector to initiate the board’s reconstitution.
PNN
